.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Championship Dreams On The Line In 129th Renewal Of College Football's Second Oldest Rivalry
November 10, 2006 | Football
In most weeks, a letdown would seem in the works. The Princeton football team is coming off an emotional win over a local rival, and its ending was so crazy that SportsCenter showed it as its No. 1 play of the day. But this is not most weeks. Princeton is heading on the road with the knowledge that a win puts it in position to clinch an Ivy League title at home, and a loss eliminates it from title contention. Princeton is heading on the road to battle the team that stopped its drive to the 2005 Ivy League title. Princeton is heading on the road to a place it hasn't scored a touchdown in more than 120 minutes to face a team that nobody on its current roster has beaten.
No, this isn't most weeks.
Princeton is heading to Yale.
Game Information
Date/Time: Nov. 11/12:30 p.m.
Stadium: The Yale Bowl
Location: New Haven, Conn.
TV: none
Radio: WBUD 1260 AM, GoPrincetonTigers.com
All-Time Series: Yale 70-48-10
Last Year: Yale 21, PRINCETON 14
Last At Site: YALE 21, Princeton 14
Last Five Years: Yale 4-1
Current Streak: Yale 4
Game Notes • Week 9
November Sweeps • Princeton remains in control of its own destiny in the Ivy League race. With wins in its final two games, the Tigers would clinch a share of their ninth Ivy title. A loss against Yale, however, would eliminate Princeton from title contention.
Twice As Nice • The last time Princeton played two straight Yale games with hopes for an Ivy League title was 1992-93, the last two years of the Keith Elias era. Yale topped Princeton 21-14 last season to keep the Tigers from gaining a share of the 2005 title.
The Big Three • Princeton, Yale and Harvard are all within one game of the Ivy League title with two weeks left for only the fifth time in league history. Of the other four years (1963, 1980, 1987 and 2005), Princeton has earned a share of only one title (1963).
Playing The Percentages • Princeton, Yale and Harvard all have winning percentages of .875. The last time three Ivy League teams simultaneously had winning percentages that high after eight games was Nov. 30, 1923, when Cornell (8-0), Dartmouth (8-1) and Yale (8-0) pulled it off.
Bowled Over • Princeton hasn't scored a touchdown at the Yale Bowl in 120 minutes and 16 seconds. The Tigers have kicked four field goals in the last two losses, a 7-3 defeat in 2002 and a 21-9 defeat in 2004. The last touchdown came on a 32-yard pass from Jon Blevins to Chisom Opara for the winning margin in a 19-14 victory on Nov. 11, 2000.
Eleven On The 11th? • All non-freshmen on the roster have beaten 10 of the 11 teams Princeton has played (Brown, Columbia, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Lafayette, Lehigh, Penn and San Diego), but nobody on the roster has ever defeated Yale.
We're Going Streaking • Princeton's four-game losing streak against Yale was its longest against any team entering the season. In its last 13 games, the Tigers have ended two nine-game losing streaks (Harvard and Penn) and one seven-game losing streak (Lehigh).
A Little Payback • The last time either team came into a Princeton-Yale game with an undefeated Ivy League record was 1995, when Princeton was 5-0 but lost 21-13 at home against the Bulldogs. Yale scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in that game to earn the victory.
Poll Position • Yale and Princeton were picked to finish fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Ivy League preseason poll. The teams picked to finish second through fourth — Penn, Brown and Cornell — have all been eliminated from title contention. Harvard, currently 4-1 in the league, was picked to finish first.
Elite Eight • A win this weekend would be Princeton's eighth of the season, the most for any Tiger squad since the championship team of 1995 went 8-1-1. No Princeton team has won nine games since Hall of Famer Cosmo Iacavazzi led the Tigers to a 9-0 record in 1964.
Working Overtime • Both Princeton and Yale are 2-0 in overtime this season. The two teams have played one overtime game, a 2003 double-overtime contest that Yale won 27-24 at Princeton Stadium.
Lost For Words • Yale's only loss this season came in the opener to San Diego, which holds the nation's longest winning streak at 17 games. The Toreros' last loss was a 20-17 defeat against Princeton in 2005.
Road Warriors • Prior to Princeton's 14-7 loss at Cornell two weeks ago, Princeton had won six straight road games. That was the longest stretch for any Princeton team in more than four decades.
Close Calls • During the 2006 schedule, more than 81% of the Princeton season has been with either team holding either a one-possession lead or the game being tied. There has never been a point this season where the leading team held more than a 14-point lead.
Rallying Cry • Princeton has won four games this season when it has trailed in the second half, three it has trailed in the fourth quarter and two it has trailed in the final five minutes.
That Winning Feeling • Princeton has won 15 of its last 19 games, dating back to the 2004 season finale. Between Princeton's 1995 Ivy title season and that last game in 2004, the most games Princeton won in any 19-game stretch was 11, including one by forfeit.
Play It Again • Princeton's game-winning touchdown was shown as SportsCenter's top play on Nov. 4. The last time Princeton was featured as the Top Play of the night was Dec. 3, 2003, when basketball player Ed Persia hit an 80-footer at the buzzer in a 60-57 win at Monmouth.
Offensive Notes • Week 9
Movin' On Up • Senior quarterback Jeff Terrell has thrown for 3,464 career yards, sixth-best all-time at Princeton. He needs 160 yards to tie tie Bob Holly for fifth place on the list and 198 to tie Ronald Beible for fourth.
Total Recall • Jeff Terrell leads the Ivy League and is ranked 10th nationally with 244.8 total yards per game. He recorded 239 total yards against Penn and accounted for four touchdowns (three in the air, one on the ground).
Carrying The Load • Saturday's game features the two most productive players at their respective positions in the Ivy League. Quarterback Jeff Terrell accounts for 69% of Princeton's offense (passing and rushing), while Yale tailback Mike McLeod accounts for 44% of the Bulldogs offense (rushing and receiving).
Circle Pattern • Brendan Circle became Princeton's first receiver with two touchdown catches in a single game since Chisom Opara caught two against Dartmouth in the 2001 season finale.
Five Alive • Brendan Circle has caught five touchdown passes in the last five games. Prior to that, he had one career touchdown reception.
14.0 Yards And A Cloud Of Dust • Reserve quarterback Bill Foran was used in a variety of offensive packages last week and averaged 14.0 yards on six carries. In his one series at quarterback this season, he led Princeton on a 10-play, 50-yard touchdown drive just before halftime against Harvard.
Something Special • In addition to his offensive responsibilities, Foran remains a key player in the Princeton special teams. He downed two punts inside the 5-yard-line last week and has nine tackles, including seven solo ones, on the season.
Jake The Snake • Tight end Jake Staser led Princeton in receiving against Cornell with four catches for 73 yards, and added his second touchdown of the season last week. The last tight end to lead Princeton in catches was current Pittsburgh Steeler practice squad member Jon Dekker, who caught four passes for 54 yards and a score against Penn in 2005.
Fresh Faces • Princeton started two freshmen, Mark Paski and J.P. Makrai, on the offensive line against Brown. It was the first time that happened since the 1996 season, when Hamin Abdullah and Bernie Marczyk started together.
Making His Mark • Mark Paski became the first freshman ever at Princeton to start his first career game on the offensive line.
Defensive Notes • Week 9
Quarterly Report • Prior to last weekend, Princeton hadn't allowed a fourth-quarter point to any Ivy League opponent this season. Penn scored two touchdowns in the final quarter, and both were on drives that saw the Quakers convert on either a 4th-and-18 or a 4th-and-24.
Conversion Chart • Princeton leads the nation in third-down conversion defense, allowing a first down on only 23.5% of its opponents attempts (24 of 102). Yale ranks first in the Ivy League and 13th nationally with a 46.2 third-down conversion percentage.
The Longest Yard • Princeton hadn't allowed a 100-yard rusher over the span of 11 games before giving up 173 yards to Penn's Joe Sandberg. The Tigers still have the No. 2 rushing defense in the Ivy League (108.9 yards per game) and will face the No. 1 rusher in the league in Mike McLeod.
No I In Team, Or Tackle • Despite having the No. 1 defense in the Ivy League, Princeton doesn't have one player ranked in the Top 25 in tackles. The top Tiger in that category is Tim Boardman, who is tied for 28th with 5.2 tackles per game.
Tim-ber • Senior defensive back Tim Strickland will make his program-record 39th consecutive start this weekend. He was the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after the season-opening win against Lehigh, when he intercepted two passes.
Sky Walker • Senior linebacker Brig Walker recorded a career-high 11 tackles in Princeton's overtime win against Penn. Walker and fellow linebacker Pat McGrath pushed Matt Reinert out of bounds on the failed overtime conversion attempt, giving Princeton its seventh win of the season.
Making Their Point • Princeton has won two overtime games this season on conversion stops in overtime. Prior to last week's tackle of the Penn holder, defensive end Tom Methvin tackled Colgate's Mike Saraceno on a two-point conversion attempt in a 27-26 win in Hamilton, N.Y.
With Honors • Defensive lineman Tom Methvin is one of three Princeton defenders to win the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week award in the first five weeks of the season. Both Tim Strickland and J.J. Artis earned the award after recording multiple-interception games in September victories, while Methvin won the award after a three-sack, three-pass breakup performance at Brown.
Miscellaneous Notes • Week 9
National Champion • Senior punter Colin McDonough was named the National and Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week after a brilliant punting performance against Harvard. The three-time All-Ivy selection averaged 48.5 yards per punt, and recorded punts of 59, 61, 62 and 64 yards.
With (Many) Honors • Colin McDonough could become Princeton's first four-time All-Ivy player in program history. He was a first-team selection in both 2003 and 2005 and a second-team selection in 2004.
More Honors • Sophomore kicker Connor Louden was named the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week after making two field goals, including a 34-yarder to force overtime with 4:02 remaining, in the 27-26 win over Colgate. Louden is in his first year as the starting kicker and is one of two placekickers in the Ivy League to have a perfect PAT conversion percentage.
Half And Half • A win Saturday would bring head coach Roger Hughes' career record to 34-34. After once being 11 games under the mark, it would be the first time Hughes' record at Princeton would be .500 since his tenure began in 2000.
First Of All • In the last five weeks, Princeton has beaten the preseason favorite of both the Patriot League (Colgate) and the Ivy League (Harvard).
Home Sweet Home Finale • Princeton will conclude its 2006 season next week when it hosts Dartmouth at 1 p.m. at Princeton Stadium. It will be Senior Day, as well as the third “Battle For The Sawhorse Dollar,” which Princeton has claimed over Dartmouth in each of the last two seasons.
The Last Time: Yale 21, Princeton 14
PRINCETON — Seven turnovers and several untimely penalties doomed the Princeton football team, which watched a 14-0 lead evaporate and its championship dreams get left on life support in a stunning turn of events in the game's final minutes. A late 1-yard touchdown run by Jeff Mroz and the Bulldogs' fifth interception of the game sealed Yale's 21-14 victory over the Tigers in the final game at Princeton Stadium in 2005.
A 28-yard touchdown pass to Derek Davis and a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brigham opened a 14-0 Princeton lead with 6:22 remaining in the first half. Unfortunately, those would be the last points Princeton would score, as an opportunistic Yale defense earned seven takeaways from that point to pull off the comeback win.
An interception by Nick Solakian in the third quarter set up Yale's first scoring drive of the game, which concluded with a 1-yard run on fourth down by Mike McLeod. That cut the Yale deficit in half with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter. Princeton would hold that lead for more than 15 minutes, but it was the final two minutes of the game that proved to be the most costly.
Following a punt out of his own end zone by Colin McDonough, Yale went on an eight-play, 36-yard drive to even the score at 14-14. Mroz completed a pair of passes to Ashley Wright to get to the 10-yard-line, but Princeton stopped Mroz on his first three passes and got a 4th-and-goal at the 10. Mroz then completed an out pattern to Todd Feiereisen for the tying score with 1:14 remaining in the quarter.
Princeton got the ball back at the 20-yard-line and attempted to drive for the winning points. The first pass proved disastrous, however, when Jeff Terrell completed a crossing pass to Brian Shields, who was hit by Brendan Sponheimer and lost control of the ball. It was grabbed in midair by Bobby Abare, who took it to the 1-yard-line. Mroz snuck it in for the go-ahead score, and Mike Holben picked off a late desperation pass to clinch the win for Yale.
Princeton outgained Yale 382-263, including a career-high 230 yards passing from Terrell. He threw two of his best balls of the day to give Princeton its 14-0 lead. Rob Toresco gained 58 yards on 11 carries, and Terrell added 34 yards on six rushes.